The present invention is directed to slot diffusers or air bars that control air flow from a ventilation system into a room and, in particular, to adjustable controller blades for controlling the flow of a jet stream of air into a room.
Slot type air diffusers are used in many different environments from controlling air flow from a heating and cooling ventilation system into a room. It is sometimes necessary to provide an air flow that is a "jet" of air from the diffuser and that flows generally straight through the diffuser so as to exit generally perpendicularly into the room relative to the face of the diffuser. Such streams of air provide substantial heating or cooling to a directed point in the room that is generally positioned directly in front of the diffuser.
When utilizing such diffusers, it is necessary to initially set the correct flow of air through the diffuser. For this purpose, control blades are provided that control the volume of air passing through the diffuser into the room and may also have some degree of control over the direction that the air flows. However, it is highly desirable to be able to fine-tune the air stream emanating from a diffuser of this type when the device is initially installed and to also be able to later adjust the air flow, should conditions within the room change. Consequently, it is desirable to have control blades which allow a user to very quickly and easily to modify the position of the blades within the diffuser.
Furthermore, it is desirable to have blades that resist movement caused by air passing through the diffuser. Movement of the blades produces noise, and reducing such movement reduces the noise produced by the ventilation system. Also, it is desirable to have blades that can be easily removed for repair or change-out to a different blade system should the requirement of the installation change substantially or should the diffuser be moved to a different location.